What drives you CRAZY about ur b/f or g/f?

Burning Down · 03-01-2012, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoonlitSunshine

Do you speak any other languages? When you speak more than one language fluently, it starts getting a bit weird upstairs. They way I think of it, there are a couple of phases of "fluency":

Beginner: You're past the basics of the language, but you still have to look up words every now and then. It's not true fluency by any stretch of the imagination, but you can follow conversations, given time to translate.

Effectively Fluent: You know the language like the back of your hand, you can follow the conversations, but your head still does the automatic translation back into your native language. However, it no longer slows you down because the transition is so automatic. You start having dreams in the other language around this point :P This is interestingly enough, the point at which I think one makes the best translator - you understand everything perfectly, but because you're still doing the automatic translation you can easily translate for someone else too.

True Fluency: This is where it gets hard to explain. In my experience (with Irish), there's no longer any transition, you simply... understand, in the same way that you understand English perfectly without someone having to explain it. It's like the difference between understanding a sentence because you know all the words that form it, and understanding the sentence...because you understand the sentence. It starts getting harder to translate for others at this point, because the inherent and subtle differences between languages start to mean more and more to you, It's no longer such a simple thing to switch between them.

Curiously enough, you hit a bit of a bullseye by saying that his mind might still be working in Serbian. I went to school through Irish, but all my memories of my time in the school are in English. I would imagine that if Irish were the language I was speaking more, it would be the other way round.

I speak French. I learned it in school and through outside lessons with tutors. I would say that I'm "effectively fluent" in French, based on your description. Although, I haven't been practicing French as often as I think I should be, as there really are no opportunities to speak French in Toronto. If I was living in Montreal, it would be different, and maybe so different that English would be the language I would have to practice. The only access to French here is through TV and radio, and now the Internet through YouTube. My comprehension is really good because of that.

I actually just asked my boyfriend about this. Like you, he said that even though he learned English in school, his memories of those classes are in Serbian. But the majority of his schooling was in Serbian, so that makes sense. He told me that although his waking mind is mostly in Serbian, he often has dreams in English. Going by what you said in your post, he places himself somewhere between "effectively fluent" and "true fluency" in English. I think that makes sense based on what he told me.

He's able to teach me all kinds of words and phrases in Serbian, the most important of those being all the curse words and such

I think that Irish is a really nice language. I have an aunt who is originally from Ireland - born and raised in Limerick, and then did a couple of years of schooling in Cork - and she says she is fairly fluent in Irish. I've only heard her speak it a few times, but I think it's just lovely

MoonlitSunshine · 03-01-2012, 12:07 PM

It's a nice language, just very difficult to practice outside Ireland! Even in Ireland it's quite difficult to find people who can speak fluenty outside of the Irish Speaking areas of the west, it's rather fallen out of fashion in recent years, because it's commercially useless... Oh well!

Back on something approaching the topic, it annoys me how quickly my gf decides she doesn't like someone. She doesn't give second chances too often, and is very disparaging of anything she sees as snobbery. Unfortunately for me, I'm quite used to snobbery, and it tends to go right over my head, so it leads to situations where I enjoy the company of people she utterly despises...

FETCHER. · 03-01-2012, 12:42 PM

I think Irish Gaelic and Scottish Gaelic should only be spoken by the Irish or the Scottish. I just think it'd be hilarious someone from somewhere else trying to pronounce the harsher syllables haha. I mean I'm not even sure I could pronounce them.

MoonlitSunshine · 03-01-2012, 03:15 PM

My gf has trouble with the "u" sound, because it's slightly but noticeably different to the Yorkshire "u" sound, so when she speaks Irish is sounds Yorkshire

As a matter of interest, is there a native scottish word for the language that is "Scots Gaelic"? In Ireland, Gaelic is Scottish and Irish is Gaeilge.

Burning Down · 03-01-2012, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoonlitSunshine

Back on something approaching the topic, it annoys me how quickly my gf decides she doesn't like someone. She doesn't give second chances too often, and is very disparaging of anything she sees as snobbery. Unfortunately for me, I'm quite used to snobbery, and it tends to go right over my head, so it leads to situations where I enjoy the company of people she utterly despises...

Oh no! I know this girl who often gives off a poor first impression (one that's like she thinks she's better than everyone else), but she is actually really nice. But my boyfriend doesn't like her, and if he sees her in the halls at school or anywhere else, he will quickly turn around or duck into a room or around the corner before she sees him. It's especially annoying if I'm with him, because he will grab my hand and quickly pull me around the corner with him!

FETCHER. · 03-01-2012, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoonlitSunshine

My gf has trouble with the "u" sound, because it's slightly but noticeably different to the Yorkshire "u" sound, so when she speaks Irish is sounds Yorkshire

As a matter of interest, is there a native scottish word for the language that is "Scots Gaelic"? In Ireland, Gaelic is Scottish and Irish is Gaeilge.

I honestly could not tell you, being from Glasgow area you'll be lucky if you can find someone fluent in Gaelic, unfortunately it's a dying language. Majorly. I'd absolutely love to learn it tbh. **** teaching French in schools, it's irrelevant to Scottish culture. Gaelic ftw

.

Howard the Duck · 03-01-2012, 06:39 PM

we've both been driving each other crazy during our Taiwan trip

lots of tiffs

LuckyLovexoxoxxx · 03-01-2012, 11:08 PM

he pees with the door open.....

Howard the Duck · 03-02-2012, 12:39 AM

^^doesn't every bf/husband?

LuckyLovexoxoxxx · 03-02-2012, 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Howard the Duck

^^doesn't every bf/husband?

lol yeah.. or in the park at 930 at night lmao

03-01-2012, 12:07 PM	#112 (permalink)
MoonlitSunshine Dat's Der Bunny! Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Ireland Posts: 1,088	It's a nice language, just very difficult to practice outside Ireland! Even in Ireland it's quite difficult to find people who can speak fluenty outside of the Irish Speaking areas of the west, it's rather fallen out of fashion in recent years, because it's commercially useless... Oh well! Back on something approaching the topic, it annoys me how quickly my gf decides she doesn't like someone. She doesn't give second chances too often, and is very disparaging of anything she sees as snobbery. Unfortunately for me, I'm quite used to snobbery, and it tends to go right over my head, so it leads to situations where I enjoy the company of people she utterly despises... __________________ "I found it eventually, at the bottom of a locker in a disused laboratory, with a sign on the door saying "Beware of the Leopard". Ever thought of going into Advertising?" - Arthur Dent

03-01-2012, 03:15 PM	#114 (permalink)
MoonlitSunshine Dat's Der Bunny! Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Ireland Posts: 1,088	My gf has trouble with the "u" sound, because it's slightly but noticeably different to the Yorkshire "u" sound, so when she speaks Irish is sounds Yorkshire As a matter of interest, is there a native scottish word for the language that is "Scots Gaelic"? In Ireland, Gaelic is Scottish and Irish is Gaeilge. __________________ "I found it eventually, at the bottom of a locker in a disused laboratory, with a sign on the door saying "Beware of the Leopard". Ever thought of going into Advertising?" - Arthur Dent

03-01-2012, 11:08 PM	#118 (permalink)
LuckyLovexoxoxxx shake it for me:) Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Nor Cal bxtch,California (: Posts: 85	he pees with the door open..... __________________ I can be your best friend and make everything wonderful or I can be your worst enemy and make your life a living hell.